Zelenskyy: Putin irritates Trump more than I do

KYIV — Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that despite his rocky relationship with Donald Trump, he thinks the White House is still more irritated by Vladimir Putin than him.

“I may say unpleasant things, but I tell the truth. And I say what I think. And he [Putin] may sometimes say very nice things, but those things are lies. And I think that for intelligent people, those who lie are more concerning,” the Ukrainian president told a group of journalists in Kyiv on Tuesday.

“In a partnership, you can be very uncomfortable, but be partners. I think the issue with Putin is that if you think you are in a dialogue, you are really alone,” added Zelenskyy.

Zelenskyy said he thinks that President Trump and his administration — looking for a quick cessation of hostilities — have now understood that Putin does not want to end his full-scale invasion of Ukraine the way the White House wants it to.

While he has continued to scold Zelenskyy, Trump warned Putin on Tuesday that he is “playing with fire” as the Kremlin continues to bombard Ukraine with a record number of drones.

 “What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realize is that if it weren’t for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD. He’s playing with fire!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

Zelenskyy — who had an infamous blow-up with Trump in the Oval Office in late February — still wants the U.S. to impose further sanctions on Russia, as only intensifying pressure can force Moscow to think about peace, he told the assembled journalists.

While the EU approved a 17th round of sanctions following Russia’s refusal of Ukraine’s 30-day ceasefire offer, the U.S. has not imposed new penalties since. Following his meeting with Trump at the Vatican in late April, however, the Ukrainian president became more confident the White House would impose sanctions on Russia if Putin refuses to agree to a ceasefire. 

Zelenskyy reiterated his willingness to engage in dialogue with the Russians “in any format,” including direct talks with Putin or with Trump’s mediation. Still, he would prefer Americans were present at talks about a ceasefire and Europeans at talks about postwar security guarantees, since they will be the ones providing those commitments. 

Zelenskyy said he is also ready to talk “almost anywhere in the civilized world.” While Russia has floated Belarus as a possible venue, Zelenskyy called it an “unserious” proposal, given the country’s support for Moscow’s invasion. He considers Turkey, Switzerland and the Vatican to be the most likely locations for negotiations.

By the summer of 2026, the Russian economy will feel the impact of sanctions, and military production will start shrinking, Zelensky said, expressing hope that by June 2026 the war will end. 

An end to the war, however, requires Russian political will. In early May, Moscow refused Ukraine’s offer to cease all hostilities for 30 days and has dramatically escalated drone and rocket attacks in recent weeks. And if the world stops putting pressure on Russia, it will simply go on with its war effort, Zelensky said.

For now, Russian forces are preparing for a major new offensive, Zelenskyy warned, and have gathered more than 50,000 troops next to the border with Ukraine’s northeastern region of Sumy.

On Tuesday, American special envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg said that Kyiv has provided the U.S. with a list of conditions for a peace deal with Russia.

Moscow is working on its own peace memorandum, the country’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday, and will make an announcement about the next round of negotiations with Ukraine soon.

This story has been updated.